No matter what happens from here, Cam Jordan is a New Orleans Saints legend -- but will his career end in black and gold? That remains to be seen.
Jordan, for the first time in his 15-year NFL career is a free agent. Speaking on former Saints offensive lineman Terron Armstead's podcast, 'The Set,' Jordan gave an update on his current status as he works toward a new deal and a 16th season. While contract value will be a factor, Jordan hinted that the team's vision for his role could be just as important.
"There’s a set value that I have in my mind," Jordan said. "That value is to the eye of the beholder at this point. Value means position, rotation, monetary, sure, but more along the lines of if I want to get 10-12-13 sacks this next season, then I need to be in the best position to do so."
Those conversations will vary from team to team, and Jordan said he has "three options" at this stage. He also noted that he was in New Orleans recently to clear items out of the locker "on the off chance" he couldn't get them back down the line. Jordan said that while there's a mutual appreciation between himself, the city and the Saints organization, he wasn't going to let the desire to be a one-team player drive his decision-making.
Jordan is coming off a resurgent season that saw him lead the team with 10.5 sacks. To this point the Saints have been busy in free agency, but have yet to add an edge rusher that would be deemed a Cam Jordan replacement.
"I understand the business nature of it all. ... Of course you see guys my age re-sign to a team because that’s the only team they’ve ever been with and you’re like, 'hell yea, we love that.' But that’s to his situation. That may not be to my situation," he continued. "As football players we only control what we can control, you know, so as much I’d be like hell yea, I want them to love me just like I love them. Sometimes, you know, the business side of that makes you feel emotional and you’ve got to be able to take your emotions out of it. So, of course I’d love to be in New Orleans, and at the same time, if the cents doesn’t make sense, you know, we’ve got to find our own path."
What Jordan did make clear is that wherever he does land in free agency, he'll still be a frequent presence in the city. Each of Jordan's xx children were born in the city and he his work in the community has been well documented. His foundation also established a scholarship last year to send students to Louisiana schools debt-free.
"There’s nothing that’s going to make me be like, nah, I’m not going back just because me and the Saints don’t work out," he said. "There’s 15 years of straight, beautiful love.”
The Saints' current free agent haul is a significant one, with the team agreeing to big-money deals with RB Travis Etienne, G David Edwards and LB Kaden Elliss, who started his career with the Saints before departing for the Falcons. They also added TE Noah Fant, P Ryan Wright and RB Ty Chandler.
The additions have added excitement around a team that has missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons, but appear to be trending upward with QB Tyler Shough and HC Kellen Moore heading into Year 2 and with several young players stepping up at key positions. New Orleans is still very much on the table for Jordan, and he laid out one key reason why.
“Maybe [the Saints] do, maybe they don’t, we just haven’t figured something out yet," he said. "Another team may insert themselves and say hey, we’ve got this vision for you to get your 10-12 sacks. We’ve got this vision to get you a Super Bowl. That’s a value. I think the Saints could be in that Super Bowl contention the next two years, that’s a value there. That’s about what I’ve got left in the tank, 2-3 years.”
